Episodes

This episode is a little different. Instead of bringing in a guest Skyra shares a recent experience that had a huge impact in her life. In September of this year, Skyra had the opportunity to give a TEDx talk. Her topic? A talk about what it’s like to be a black woman in a predominately white space. She chose this topic to give people a better understanding of what that experience is like. As Skyra worked on her piece, she started to have doubts. She was really scared that the story and...

Have you ever wanted to serve your community by working in local government? This week's guest never did. In fact, she wanted to steer clear of being involved in any form of politics. But in this episode, Dr. Shanea Nelson talks about how her career path challenged her to impact others through the role of Director of Community Development for Lafayette Consolidated Government. Dr. Nelson also does a GREAT job of really breaking down what this complex department does so that we can...

Skyra Rideaux talks with Ruben Henderson, Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Leadership at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For years Ruben has made it a priority in his life to volunteer with community organizations that he believes in. Because of his passion for giving and his dedication to his community Skyra is not surprised at how his career has unfolded. Ruben spends his days working with college students, helping them explore their individual skills and talents...

In this episode, I speak with my dear friend, Robin Leblanc. She shares the journey she took that helped her build a successful business. And let me tell you, she ended up in a very different place than when she started out, but through it all she remained very passionate about helping others. One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation is how Robin describes her leadership style. She leads by doing. She discovered at a young age how important it is to take action and that her...

In this episode Skyra talks with Stephen Bartley who shares an experience he had when he was young. Someone in his hometown made the decision to create opportunities for teens to provide services in his community like cutting the grass for elderly people, painting park benches and picking up litter. This lesson, the importance of giving back to your community, left a mark on Stephen. All through college and into his professional career he remembered what it felt like to do good things for...

This weeks episode is with Ashley Mudd, Executive Director of Leadership Institute of Acadiana. A couple of years ago she reached out to Conversations with Leaders host, Skyra Rideaux and simply asked to connect with her. Once the two were able to get to know each other, Skyra learned a valuable lesson. Ashley showed Skyra that she understood the importance of learning from a diverse group of people. In this episode, Ashley will share her journey and discuss why she is very intentional...

In today’s episode Skyra chats with someone who played a very influential role in helping her connect with others and understand why it’s so important to get involved. Skyra connected with Zach Barker a few years ago when he was President of the705, a local organization for young professionals. When she expressed interest in the group, he quickly took action and capitalized on her enthusiasm. The result? A few months later she was in the running to be elected to the Board of Directors. She...

This week Skyra talks with Tina Bingham. Tina is one of those people who believes that if we want a better world, it's up to us to take action. And she did. She is working with her neighbors in the McComb-Veazey neighborhood to do things like create a community farm, build a neighborhood park and coordinate educational programs. And she has a wonderful, warm and welcoming personality.

In this session, Skyra talks with Missy Andrade, Vice President of Investor Relations & Development for One Acadiana. Missy shares some challenges she’s faced and how she’s overcome them. She talks openly about what she learned when dealing with people who are averse to change. And she has a very interesting story about an eye opening moment when she realized she was a leader.

Skyra talks to Carlee Alm-Labar, Director of Planning, Zoning and Development for the City of Lafayette. Carlee discusses how planning and zoning codes affect how our cities are built. She also shares her experience in working to implement the Unified Development Code so that the citizens of Lafayette can live, work and play in the city they want.

In this Conversations with Leaders episode Skyra speaks with Alex Lazard, business owner and community leader. Alex talks about the strong, positive influences he’s had in his life that guided him to where he is today. He recently started his own business and shares some of the most insightful business advice...ever.

Skyra Rideaux speaks with young professionals in her community who are passionate about making a difference. In this episode she chats with Cydra Wingerter who talks about her experience in the nonprofit sector.

Ahmed Siddiqui is an award winning filmmaker and Executive Director of bckstry.org, a non-profit organization that provides youth mentorship and job training to aspiring creative professionals. To date, over 30 of bckstry's mentees have gone on to work in either big Hollywood productions or local projects. If you want to get involved Learn more at www.bckstry.org and check out their killer podcast at www.bit.ly/bckstrypod Follow bckstry: Facebook - www.facebook.com/bckstry Instagram -...